Farm Forum (Continued from Pag* AID) manure in and around the bam, much of which was washing away with surface water. With this type of total confinement system a multitude of herd health problems occurred (ex. diseases of feet and legs and reproductive problems) creating high veterinary costs. A high price was paid in repair and maintenance of equipment for crop farming to feed under this type of dairy production. Worst of all is the price we all pay because fertilizers, insecticides and herbi cides contaminate our surface wa ter. In a grazing system cows are outside in small paddocks for a short time and moved to a differ ent area every 12 hours. Manure is dispersed by the cows themselves over a large area and herd health is greatty improved. Since May 1993 I have had one cow that needed her feet trimmed, all others have had no real feet or leg prob lems. There have been three cows with retained placentas. No cows have been treated for vaginal in fections. Two cows were repeat breeders (more than two services), one of which was sold. There have been four cases of mastitis, three of these cows were sold. Overall cows arc very healthy. My veter inary expenses for 1993 were $450.00, much of which was for two heid pregnancy checks and agrl systems No 4-H cattle health check. Repair and maintenance of equipment for the most part is on milk equip ment. Feed costs have been very low from April through November which of course is dependent on the weather and my management of the paddocks. November through March feed costs are high for lactating cows and low for dry cows. The greatest challenge in the grazing system is supplying a consistent lush forage through the changing seasons. In the spring forage growth is lush. Cattle are moved as quickly as possible over larger areas. As forage growth slows so does the speed at which you move cattle, making your pasture sizes smaller and creating a longer period for re growth. This works well until July and August when dry weather causes a period of no growth. To solve this problem one could plant barley, wheat or rye with a mix ture of clover. When the small grains come off it would leave you a lush pasture to graze on until fall, when your spring pasture would have a lush regrowth. November into winter pasture consists of fifth cutting alfalfa and regrowth of grass hay fields (grass hay mowed mid May and let re grow until late fall heavy sod). With a little luck and a little prayer this system will supply most of a spring freshening herd’s forage. The problem created by this system is the distance in moving cattle to and from a stationary milking facility. My spring pas ture is a mile from my summer. Northeast Agri Systems, Inc. ™ manaiiM, «d Flyway Business Park mSmEtmiomo ™ MuevasilY Wl 139 A West Airport Road Sat.B:ootoNoon Baaa UtltZ, PA 17543 24 Hr, 7 Day Repair Sorvk* ■■ Ph: (717) 569-2702 1-800-673-2580 P My winter pasture is three miles from my fall pasture. Thus came the plan for a mobile milking unit. This system would be powered by a farm tractor and carried on a drop implement trailer. Nine-foot wide by 22-foot long. (See illus tration provided). Cows would be moved across the trailer deck into an in-line 8-front exiting stall. The floor or deck of .the trailer is a large grate where droppings could fall or be washed through. The ceiling would be painted metal or glass flberboard which could be easily cleaned. The entire trailer would be under roof. Cows would be milked from the rear and main tained in the stalls by a rear tail board. The front of the stall would open completely for exit. The tail board in the rear would raise up and out taking the milker and the take-off unit completely out of the way for entering cows. Front and rear gates could be air operated. The milk line would be three-inch stainless steel, one piece with no breaks. Milk would be carried with this single line to a vacuum sealed milk tank. An additional line would be parallel for use in washing. The milk line pitch would be properly set but could be maintained by raising or lowering the front or the back of the trailer (Harford County hills). The milk tank would be small, refrigerated and used only for the temporary storage of milk while milking. A high pressure as well as a low pressure water line could be in stalled along the milk line with drop hoses for convenient wash- NOW OPEN up of hands, utensils and the trail er itself. A water tank with air pressure would supply the low and high pressure washers. Units on the trailer would consist of the milk tank, compressor, air com pressor (power to the stalls, pres sure to water tank, milk pump and air reserve) and milk tank. All would be powered by a portable generator on the trailer. The trailer would be placed be tween pasture lots and cows would go from one lot through the trailer to be milked and out into the new lot after milking. Milking would not be done in the same area more than once. Grass and seed would be placed under the trailer before milking. Manure and water would ensure a rapid growth of grass at the spot where the trail er had been parked. At the end of milking the trailer would be re turned to the dairy where milk would be pumped out of the small tank into the permanent milk tank. The milk line on the trailer would be washed by hookup to the per manent wash system at the dairy. The small milk tank would be washed with a tank washer and drained into the dairy drain Held. All paper, tainted milk or trash would be brought back to the dairy for disposal. The positive aspects of a port able milking unit used in intensive grazing in conjunction with sea sonal milking are many. The most important of these being that little if any environmental hazards are ROLLING 0N...1N THE 90'S IMPLEMENTS KEEP GOING WHEN OTHERS QUIT MEETS THE CHALLENGE Briliion SSB, SSIO And SSI2 Seeders Brillion has long been known for building the best agricultural grass seeders on the market. With the SS seeders, the best just got better. Improved design throughout from the frame to the transport system to the larger capacity box to all the options needed to suit your operation. BASIC STANDARD MACHINE INCLUDES: Meter/alfalfa seed box only, rims for 760x15 tires, hyd transport including hyd. cyls. and hoses to tractor, new box drive (no center gears), heavy duty drawbar with balanced hitch clevis, tongue jack, standard 4C688 front wheels, bolted micro meter (no roll pin), and glass filled nylon seed meters face operator with rotation indicator decal on shafts • Agitator • Brome Box • Deep front wheels • S-tine track remover kit • High speed sprocket doubles seed rate output • acre meter • Rims for 9.5Lx15 tires • New 760x15 or 9.5Lx15 tires. —— For More Information Contact Your Brillion Dealer —— Pennsylvania] ADAMSTOWN Adamstown Equip. Inc. ALLENTOWN Lehigh Ag Equipment BECHTELSVILLE Miller Equip. Co. BERWICK C.H. Rinehlmer & Sons CARLISLE Gutshall's, Inc. □OVER George N. Gross, Inc. EASTON George V. Seiple ELIZABETHTOWN Messlck Farm Equipment Co. INTERCOURSE C.B. Hoober & Son QREENCASTLE Meyers Implement LANCASTER Lendls Brothers, Inc. LEBANON Umberger’s Of Fontana LOYSVILLE Gutshall’s, Inc. .LYNNPORT L. Kermlt K. Kistler, Inc. Uncut* Farming, Saturday, July 23, IM4-A29 created. No herbicide, insecticide or fertilizer are used. Soil erosion is greatly reduced and manure is not concentrated in a small area but dispersed over a large area. Herd health is far better. Health experts in this country recommend people eat fresh, green leafy vege tables. Cows would do just that and the farmer would realize im proved herd health through this method of feeding. Somatic cell and mastitis decreases and there fore the quality of milk improves as well. The economic and emotional strain on the smalt family farm to day is overwhelming. Two in come families predominate this population just like other occupa tions. When your children want to go to the movies or the pizza shop and you don’t have the money be cause you spent it on the vet bills or other bills that result from farm ing in the traditional methods, it is very trying. I know of no business that provides so much raw that simulates the U.S. economy more than the family farm. We spend every penny we make just to stay in business and yet in the past 40 years our market prices have only doubled while other industries have at least quadrupled their mar ket prices. Last year with intensive grazing milking cheaply bought Jersey heifers, I had money in the bank. I paid cash for ground rent, com seed, baler twine and all my sup- OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT NEEDMORE Clugston Farm Equipment NEW HOLLAND A.B.C. Groff, Inc. OAKLAND MILLS Peoples Sales & Service OLEY Pikeville Equipment, Inc. QUARRYVILLE Grumelli Farm Service TAMAQUA Charles Snyder, Inc. WATSONTOWN Deerfield AG & Turf Center, Inc. WEST GROVE S.G. Lewis & Son, Inc. FREDERICK Ceresville Ford New Holland BRIDGETON Fogg ELMER Pole Tavern Equip. Sales Corp COLUMBUS Reed Brothers Equipment FAIRIELD CaldwAll Tractor & a (Turn to Page A 36)
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